Avanti West Coast driver Girish Jani has finished working after fifty years in railway work.

Prior to his retirement, Girish was a Driver Trainer and Assessor. 67-year-old Wembley resident Girish celebrated his retirement by driving a Pendolino train for one last time on a journey from Crewe to London Euston.

Avanti West Coast colleagues from the Driver Training Centre gave Jani a send-off at Crewe station and then travelled as passengers on his last train to London.

As the Pendolino pulled into Euston station, workmates past and present greeted it with cheers and applause, having come to the station to celebrate his achievement and wish him well.

Euston and Crewe were two key places in his railway career.

Girish, known as ‘Jani’ by his workmates, worked at Eurson for several decades, and for the last eighteen months, he has been working at Avanti West Coast’s Driver Training Centres, including the centre at Crewe.

Girish was seventeen years and nine months old when he joined the railway in September 1974. Labour’s Harold Wilson was Prime Minister, and ‘Love Me for a Reason’ by The Osmonds was top of the UK singles charts.

His brothers also worked on the railway, one as a train driver at London Underground for more than thirty-five years, and the other worked for British Rail for twenty-two years.

Jani began his career as a secondman (assistant to a train driver) at Stonebridge Park freight depot in Wembley straight after leaving school.

He went on to become a driver, in the days before mobile phones and when safety rules did not require workers to wear hi-vis jackets when on the track.

After a few years, Jani started working as a passenger train driver based at London Euston. He went on to become a mentor, instructor, and Deputy Driver Team Manager, before progressing to Driver Team Manager.

In this role, which he held for over thirty years, Girish supported train drivers based at Euston.

For the final year and a half of his career, Jani has been training new Avanti West Coast drivers, working as a Driver Trainer and Assessor at centres including Polmadie, Carlisle, Crewe and London Euston.

In this role, he has been helping to train drivers on Avanti’s fleet, and has passed on his knowledge and experience to trainees.

Away from his railway work, Jani has been a magistrate for eighteen years, a role he took up in order to support and work with the community to make a difference.

Jani says that the two roles – working on the railway and being a magistrate – require similar skills, which include attention to detail, taking on responsibility, and good communication.

Jani has collected many memories during his half-century on the railway, including driving different types of traction, feeling part of the railway family and learning new skills. 

“The West Coast Main Line has been my home for over half a century. It is a unique railway, and its people have always been so kind to me. I’ve learned so much since my early days in freight and been able share experiences with some fantastic people, as well as drive the Pendolino train, which in my opinion is a brilliant machine!

“I feel truly proud and privileged to have clocked up 50 years’ service. It only feels like yesterday I started on my railway journey. I will miss the people, driving trains and playing my part in supporting the next generation of train drivers – I look forward to travelling on their trains one day. I’m excited to start a new chapter where I’ll get to look at my bucket list for travel, continue my magistrate duties and spend quality time with my family.”

Girish Jani

“Working with Jani was invaluable when I joined Euston depot. Jani’s relations and the connections he built with people over the years is testament to his personable approach. He has a unique charisma and charm – sometimes playfully cheeky that makes him memorable and a valuable leader. As one of the longest serving Driver Managers at London Euston, Jani’s motivation was the success of the driver function at the depot. He always had a willingness to go above and beyond for those he worked with.”

Craig Fletcher, Deputy Head of Drivers at Avanti West Coast